Given name & surname
Clift
“from the town near the cliff”
Clift is a variant of Cliff. In English use, Cliff carries the interpretation “from the town near the cliff.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Clift is a variant of Cliff. In English use, Cliff carries the interpretation “from the town near the cliff.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1946. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Clift through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12
- 12 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1946
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1961. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,947 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Clift, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cleveland
“from the land of clifffs”
>99% boys
Cleophis
>99% boys
Bill
“the determined protector” · “will”
>99% boys
Dian
Dian is a feminine given name from Javanese. It is used in Indonesian.
>99% boys
Rollie
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Rolly
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Deane
“from the valley; a church official”
>99% boys
Woody
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
>99% boys